Lent: Turning Our Hearts to Easter

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. During this time, we start to turn our hearts and minds to Easter, moving through 40 days leading up to Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and the final week of his life before his death and resurrection.

As we begin the next 7 weeks, we want to prepare our hearts to celebrate our risen Savior, so on Sunday we’re starting a new series called Who Do You Say That I Am? Each week we’ll be looking at one of Jesus’ seven “I Am” statements in the Gospel of John and asking the question, who do we say that he is?

I AM the Bread of Life - John 6:25-40
I AM the Light of the World - John 8:12-38
I AM the Door and the Good Shepherd - John 10:1-18
I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life - John 14:1-14
I AM the True Vine - John 15:1-11
I AM the Resurrection and the Life - John 11:1-44

Traditionally, Christians give up something for Lent. Whether it’s a specific food, social media, TV, or anything else, giving something up serves as a reminder of the coming celebration of Easter. This year, I want to ask you to do something a little bit different. For the next 7 weeks, let’s add something to our lives to turn our hearts and minds to Easter.

Each weekday morning, we’re going to spend a few minutes in a passage in John. Here’s the goal: read it, pray it, share it. Every post will have a passage of Scripture, a short prayer, and a question to meditate on and talk about. In a few minutes every day, we can prepare our hearts for all that God has planned in this season of Lent.

Let’s not rush through this season of preparation. Let’s tell people about who Jesus is and what he’s done for us. Let’s take time to listen to the Spirit to see what he might have us do, who he might have us talk to, and how he might open our eyes again to the wonders of Christ’s resurrection.